Carly's Law: 'We brought the Alabama Legislature together, which is almost unheard of'

BIRMINGHAM,
Alabama -- When Dustin Chandler woke up at 6:30 this morning with plans to
head to Montgomery for the anticipated Alabama House vote on Carly's Law, his
wife, Amy, had an announcement.

"My wife said, 'What happened?' What do you mean, what
happened? She said, 'Well, Carly's Law passed at 2 o'clock this morning,'"
Chandler said in an interview this morning.

Indeed, the Alabama House took action around 2:10 a.m. and
with a 97-0 vote, representatives passed the bill named after the Chandlers'
daughter that authorizes a study of marijuana-derived medication called
cannabidiol, or CBD, to treat epilepsy and seizures under a study through the University of Alabama at Birmingham.

"I was shocked waking up this morning and hearing it
passed at 2:10 a.m.," said Dustin Chandler, a Pelham police officer who has
been actively lobbying lawmakers to approve the bill.

"I'm also shocked that this is the children's and people of
Alabama's voice that was so collectively loud and consistent, and we were heard
and it shows the politicians actually listened. We brought the Alabama Legislature
together, which is almost unheard of," Chandler said.

The bill is named for the Chandlers' 3-year-old daughter,
Carly, who has been diagnosed with a rare genetic disease that causes her
frequent, violent seizures.

The bill would authorize the limited use of CBD oil under a UAB study that
proponents are hoping to use from a specialized marijuana plant grown in
Colorado that has demonstrated relief in children suffering from seizures and
epilepsy where prescription medications have failed.

Although the medication comes from marijuana and contains
a small amount of the active ingredient in the drug, the oil given to children
is not able to produce the plant's intoxicating effects in its users.

The effect seen in some children and others taking the
medication is a drastic reduction in or nearly
eliminating the number of violent seizures while providing a
vastly improved quality of life for them and their families.

The Senate on March 11 approved
the bill 34-0 vote. State Sen. Cam Ward of Alabaster said he expects the
Senate to concur with the House's vote. The Senate vote could happen today.

Gov. Robert Bentley previously said he plans to sign
the bill after its passage in the Legislature.

The bill includes a $1 million study at the
University of Alabama at Birmingham to examine the effectiveness of the
marijuana-derived medication to treat seizure disorders.

Chandler said he spoke with state Rep. Allen Farley of
McCalla, a strong proponent of Carly's Law, this morning. "When they got to
Carly's Law and the speaker introduced it, Allen Farley said he was ready to
debate it or answer questions," Chandler said.

"They started chanting vote, vote, vote," he said Farley
told him. "He didn't even get one question from the floor."

The House approval "is a tribute to the kids and the families
behind this and the people of Alabama that we brought the Legislature together
for once," Chandler added. "It's good for the people of Alabama and the
children of Alabama that need help."

Chandler said he's still traveling to Montgomery today in
anticipation of the Senate's vote, which is needed due to some language
amendments in the House-approved bill. "The first time I walked down there,
they said you hardly ever pass a bill the first year. It's shocking to me," he
said.

"The sun goes down and you're thinking one thing one day
and it rises the next and you're on a totally different avenue," Chandler said.
"God is good. It's funny how this stuff works. It's amazing to me."

Reporter's note: At 10:30 a.m. on March 20, 2014, added language to clarify the legislation authorizes a study to use CBD oil through UAB, which would prescribe the medication.